Chapter 8

CHAPTER EIGHT

VALENTIN

The buzzing jolts me awake. I burrow closer to Alondra, my face buried in her belly, where I fell asleep around two in the morning. We were up late. First, she was working with her cousin on her statement. Maeven called right after dinner to warn Alondra that the mayor and his people were releasing a statement, and she needed to get ahead of whatever they would say—just in case they planned on throwing mud her way.

She got to work with the cats on her lap and, at times, leaning against me on the bed. In the statement, she categorically denied her involvement and reiterated her commitment to the underserved communities that benefited from the programs she ran. She pledged to fully cooperate with any investigation by handing all her files and communications to the appropriate authorities. It was good to see the professional side of her.

After Alondra was jittery and overstimulated, I put the cats in a basket and carried her to bed. We tore at each other’s mouths, hands, and bodies and poured all that nervous energy onto each other. That’s how we fell asleep.

The buzzing continues, and I pat around, looking for the phone ringing, unsure if it’s hers or mine. I find it under my pillow. Maeven’s name flashes across the screen. I lightly shake Alondra’s shoulder until she lifts her head.

“It’s Maeven.”

She sits up on the bed and picks up. The next second, she is sitting up. “Wait, what?”

Alondra pushes off the bed and throws the lights on. She runs to her closet and grabs clothes from her suitcase.

With the phone on the speaker, she moves around.

“What’s happening?” I ask.

“I need to get back. The mayor is not only releasing a statement tomorrow. He is doing a press conference,” Alondra says, putting on the same two-piece she came to the island in.

Maeven’s voice chimes on the phone. “I need her to get to the Norfolk airport. I called in two favors to get her a seat on a private plane to New York and secured an interview on one of the morning shows. We must get ahead of this whole thing because the rumor is that Briddams plans to throw Alondra under the bus to save himself.”

I begin to help her gather her things.

“There’s more,” Maeven adds. “I have it from a good source that they’re digging into your life, family, and relationships. This kind of thing tends to get nasty. Briddams’ team is in panic mode.”

“I’m almost all packed and ready,” Alondra says. “I’ll park at the airport and leave my car there.”

“Okay, see you at LaGuardia.” Maeven hangs up.

“Your cousin was always resourceful. Do I even want to know where she gets her info?”

She looks over her shoulder. “It’s better not to ask questions.”

I gape at her. “And you say you’re not street smart?”

She laughs and turns fully around to throw her arms around me. “This is bad and stressful, but the one good thing is seeing you again.”

“I’ve missed having you in my life. I’m coming with you.”

She takes my face in her hands but shakes her head. “No, Vale. I don’t know how long this will take, and you need to be here. Susurration needs you. The B&B needs you. The roads are opening, and people will start coming in. I don’t want this to touch you, and since no one knows about us, I can always come here to hide if I need to.”

I don’t like it, but she and Maeven have a plan, and I like that she intends to come back. “Okay, but if you need me, I can be there right away.”

She presses her lips to mine. When she pulls away, there are tears in her eyes.

Twenty minutes later, she leaves me standing by the side of the house, staring as her SUV disappears, with the soundtrack of the sea playing in the background. It’s like I imagined the last three days as if they were something straight out of my dreams.

Because now, the hole she left in my chest years ago is back, gaping open, and it’s only been a few minutes. She said she will be back. It took thirteen years from the last time she left. I shake my head from the thoughts that will lead nowhere good and go upstairs to make coffee. I’m almost in the kitchen when the text message comes through.

Alondra: Take care of my cats.

I stare at the phone, not daring to believe it.

Her freaking cats. She took advantage of my confusion and left the two fur balls. They’re in the basket near the stove, curled up against each other like we were less than an hour ago. I’m praying their mother comes back. I’m not sure if I mean their cat mother or the woman who brought us together, and I don’t know when we’ll see again.